It’s business as usual for the New England Patriots, as they prepare to take on the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game on Sunday afternoon.
It is business as usual for the New England Patriots as they prepare to take on the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday afternoon.
The Patriots have never won a playoff game in Denver. With Brady as their quarterback, they lost in the 2006 divisional round, the 2014 AFC Championship Game and the 2016 AFC Championship Game.
“We’ve seen what’s been working for us and everything from the offensive side, defensive side, and also on special teams so being consistent and staying on a path that we’ve been on is the most important thing,” cornerback Marcus Jones told the media Wednesday afternoon.
The Denver Broncos will not have quarterback Bo Nix for Sunday’s game after he suffered a broken ankle during last weekend’s game against the Buffalo Bills.
Backup quarterback Jarett Stidham is expected to play in his place. Stidham was a backup on the New England Patriots for two seasons, playing behind Tom Brady in 2019 and then behind Cam Newton in 2020. He also worked with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas.
“He’s more than capable to go out there and operate, that’s why he’s the backup and one that was coveted around the league,” head coach Mike Vrabel said Wednesday.
“Josh coached him a couple of years ago so anything that we have that we can use to help us we’ll try,” he said.
The Patriots are favored to win the game; however, the team is still expected to overcome challenges. Traveling to Colorado presents a different environment to play in. Empower Field at Mile High sits 5,280 feet above sea level.
“We’ve played in a lot of different environments....I think in each game, it kind of has its own story but you better take care of the football especially in Denver,” Vrabel said.
“...You have to be resilient....you’re going to have to handle the environment offensively and not put yourself in bad situations because your operation isn’t very good,” he said.
Jones said the altitude at the stadium is something the team cannot control, but hydration will be a focus.
“It’s the one thing I’ve mainly heard so I think I’ll stick with that, you know we got to control what we can control and that’s one thing that we can’t control,” he said.
Vrabel also announced Wednesday that wide receiver Mack Hollins would not practice and would not be coming off injured reserve. The 32-year-old suffered an abdominal injury and has missed the past four games.
“We’ve all been waiting for Mack, it’s something that we talk about almost every other day, when we see Mack everyone’s happy to see Mack. Mack has that effect - this energy he approaches the game the right way we miss him that’s our brother. If we get him back that would be great,” wide receiver Stefon Diggs said.
“If we don’t, there’s guys on the team that have to step up. I think the guys on the team have stepped up and done a great job,” he said.
Cornerback Carlton Davis is expected to have a limited practice and wear a no-contact jersey after suffering a head injury during Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans.
“I think this is a pretty motivated group, I just think to try and play together with the speed that they have the last couple of weeks and I’m confident that they remain excited and ready to go,” Vrabel said.
Despite the stakes, players said the Patriots remain focused on the present.
“You can’t think about the past or what’s in front of me, you got to think about the right now I’m going to take full advantage of that,” Diggs said.
“I think mainly you just carry what you’ve been doing, you got to trust that wherever you’ve been you’re going to be that continuing,” he said.
“At the end of the day, no matter what anyone else says, we still got stuff to prove. We’re always trying to prove ourselves right, not prove anyone else wrong...” Jones said.
“Whenever we get back in the building, it’s on to the next week. being in the national football league it’s a week-by-week league and we understand that,” he said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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Category: General Sports
